Smoking products and manufacture of the same



United States Patent 3,132,651 SMOKING PRODUCTS AND MANUFACTURE OF THESAME Julius E. Kiefer, 3951 N. Farwell Ave., Milwaukee 11, Wis. N0Drawing. Filed Aug. 23, 1961, Ser. No. 133,334- 6 Claims. (Cl. 131-141)This invention relates to smoking products and to the manufacturethereof, and more particularly to the processing of tobacco to elfectrapid aging or conditioning thereof and to eliminate or substantiallyreduce the nicotine content. i

In the conventional preparation of smoking tobacco,

tobacco leaves are dried or cured, as by flue-curing, aircuring, orotherwise, for a period ranging from several days to several Weeks,depending on the drying method. The drying removes substantially all ofthe water from the leaves and also about 20% of the dry weight. Thedried leaves, which are quite brittle, are then permitted to regainabout 20% moisture to render them pliable, so that they can be safelyhandled. At this stage the dried tobacco has a rank, harsh odor and isnot suitable for smoking. Before the tobacco is ready for manufacturethe tobacco undergoes a relatively long aging or conditioning processwhich involves fermentation, oxidation, esteriflcation, hydrolysis andmany other chemical changes. The aging period ranges from six months tofive years, a three-year process being generally used for cigarettetobacco. This has necessitated maintaining a large and expensiveinventory in warehouse storage. Various methods have also been suggestedfor denicotinizing tobacco, but these are relatively complicated and oflong duration and have been found to adversely aiiect the flavor andquality of the tobacco.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of treatingtobacco which will effect a relatively rapid aging or conditioning ofthe tobacco, the aging or conditioning period being normally shorterthan one day.

Another object is to provide an improved and relatively inexpensivetobacco treating method which will eliminate or substantially reduce thenicotine content of the tobacco, while retaining desirable flavor, tasteand aroma of the tobacco Still another object is to provide a relativelyrapid tobacco-treating method which will simultaneously age anddenicotinize the tobacco.

A further object is to provide a tobacco of good quality from which allor a substantial part of the nicotine has been eliminated.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the method of the invention, dried tobacco, preferably in a slittedor shredded form, is subjected in a water-wet condition, as hereinafterdescribed, to the enzymatic action of cellulase to effect rapid aging ofthe tobacco and to simultaneously eliminate the nicotine content, or tosubstantially reduce the nicotine content as may be predetermined anddesired. 'The tobacco is treated in its natural acid condition, whichminimizes,

been uniformly dispersed. The weight of the water-may sirably of theAspergillus type.

moderate heat.

tobacco is soaked for approximately /2 to 1 hour in the Water bath andisthen placed in a sieve to drain, after which it is repeatedly rinsedwith flowing warm water. In some cases, a small amount of the wettingagent may remain in the rinsed tobacco. A second Water bath at atemperature of approximately 68 to 140 F. has uniformly dispersedtherein a small quantity of cellulase, which is readily water soluble.The cellulase usedis de- A suitable commercial cellulase enzymepreparation, derived from Aspergillus niger, is known as TakamineCellulase 4000. The weight of the cellulase may range from 0.001 to 0.1%of the weight of the water. In some instances, a small amount of asuitable organic acid, such as citric, malic or acetic acid, is added tothe second Water bath to provide a pH of 3 /2 to 5, which is the optimumpH range for cellulase. The tobacco is then placed in the water, theweight of which is 10 to 30 times the weight of the tobacco, and is leftin the Water for A: to 2 hours. However, the treatment time is notcritical. The enzymatic action of the cellulase attacks the cellulosicmaterial, and not only ages the tobacco but also simultaneously removesall the nicotine. The cellulase treatment also removes or substantiallyreduces the content of tars, resins, and phenols. If some nicotinecontent is desired, the treatment may be shortened or reduced inintensity and less cellulase may be used. The cellulase-treated tobaccois then drained, repeatedly rinsed with warm water, and dried underWhole tobacco leaves can also be similarly treated, but they require alonger treating period. Optionally, either or both of the first andsecond tobaccocontaining baths may be mildly agitated. If desired, thefirst Water bath treatment may be omitted. After the tobacco is treatedby the method of the invention, it is cased with any of the flavoringmaterials and humectants commonly used with tobacco.

In some instances, a proteolytic enzyme, such as proteinase, pepsin,pancreatine, and the like, can be usefully employed to replace up toapproximately 30% of the cellulase, so as to reduce the treating cost.

The tobacco treated in accordance with the invention has a mild andsatisfying taste and flavor and provides a pleasant smoke, particularlyin cigarette form.

The enzymatic treatment of the invention may also be used to eliminateor substantially reduce the nicotine content of tobacco which has beenfully aged by conventional methods. The treatment will also remove orsubstantially reduce the content of tars, resins, and phenols.

Although the cellulase used in the treating methods of the invention hasan optimum activity within the range of pH 3.5 to 5.0, it operatesfairly efficiently between pH 3.0 and 8.0. i

I claim:

51. The method of treating tobacco, which comprises subjecting thetobacco for a relatively short period of time in a Water bath to theenzymatic action of cellulase of Aspergillus derivation, said cellulasebeing dispersed in said bath in a relatively low concentration.

2. Thefmethod of treating dried tobacco to improve the same, whichcomprises subjecting the tobacco in, a water-Wet condition to theenzymatic action of cellulase and a proteolytic enzyme fora relativelyshort period of time, said cellulase being of Aspergillus derivation,and

both said cellulase and proteolytic enzyme being dispersed same and toeliminate or substantially reduce the nicotine be about 10 to 30 timesthe weight of the tobacco. The

content thereof, which comprises subjecting the tobacco 7 1n a water-Wetcondition to'the enzymatic action of cellulase fora relatively shortperiod of time, said cellulase 1 being of Aspergillus derivation andbeing dispersed in a relatively low concentration in the water.

4. The'rnethod of treating dried tobacco, which comprises soakingtobacco in an aqueous bath containing a wetting agent, rinsing thesoaked tobacco, and then subjecting the soaked tobacco in a water-Wetcondition to the enzymatic action of cellulase of Aspergillus derivationfor a relatively short period of time, said cellulase being dispersed inthe water in a relatively low concentration.

5. The method of treating dried tobacco, which com prises subjecting thetobacco for a relatively short period of time in a Water-wet conditionto the enzymatic action of cellulase of Aspergillus derivation in a pHrange of approximately 3.5 to 5 and in a temperature range ofapproximately 68 to 140 F., said cellulase being dispersed in the waterand having a concentration therein in which the weight of the cellulaseis 0.001 to 0.1% of the Weight of the Water.

6. Tobacco Which is aged and at least partially denicotinized by havingbeen subjected in a water-Wet condition to the enzymatic action ofcellulase of Aspergillus derivation for a relatively short period oftime.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHERREFERENCES The Enzymes, by J. B. Sumner and Karl Myrbach, pp. 727-736,published 1951 by Academic-Press, Inc., New York, NY.

1. THE METHOD OF TREATING TOBACCO, WHICH COMPRISES SUBJECTING THETOBACCO FOR A RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME IN A WATER BATH TO THEENZYMATIC ACTION OF CELLULASE OF ASPERGILLUS DERIVATION, SAID CELLULASEBEING DIESPERSED IN SAID BATH IN A RELATIVELY LOW CONCENTRATION.